Danny Phantom in: The Reckoning
by theblondeknight45
Summary: It's been 11 years since the Phantom Planet incident, and life has been good for Danny and his allies. Under his watch the world has prospered, and relations with ghosts are steadily improving. Life has not been so kind to Vlad Plasmius, but he's paid his dues, and now he's coming back for the ultimate reckoning against his arch nemesis. One way or the other, there's hell to pay.
1. The Return

**Been kind of getting back into Danny Phantom lately, and seeing as this idea has been churning in my head since I first saw Butch Hartman's "Danny Phantom 10 Years Later" videos, I figured now was the time. Some of it is pretty blatantly stolen, some of it is my invention, but regardless I don't own Danny Phantom or any related properties. **

**If the thought passes your mind, leave me a review and let me know what you think! I don't often write fan fiction these days, but if it picks up traction I'll keep it going (even it takes me forever to wrap it up, lol). Regardless, I hope you enjoy.  
**

* * *

The last eleven years had been hell. Literally.

He could not conceive of a worse way to spend a decade than the way he had. His captors took joy in ruining his every day, invading every waking moment, humiliating him, working him to the bone. Rotted. That's what it was. He felt rotted from his long tenure in chains. A haunted shadow of what he should have been by now.

He felt his fangs extending as he brooded about the time lost, flying into the farthest reaches of the Ghost Zone.

But no matter. It was all behind him now. The fools had given him an inch, and just one inch was all Vlad Plasmius needed to take a proverbial mile. They wouldn't make the same mistake twice, he made sure they could not. And now, he was on his way home.

Well, almost home. Earth seemed rather off limits to him since the Phantom Planet incident, but after a quick errand in the edge of recorded existence that would all change. He had never been this far in before. It wouldn't be a surprise if no halfa or human had. Come to think of it, the ghosts who had once traversed this darkness were probably gone now too.

The space of the Ghost Zone had lost its accents, all the stars and spiraling energy vortexes and hidden lairs had gone. He could barely see his own hand in front of him for a time, but at last it was there: an asteroid of white rock, inlaid with rivers of greenish-blue magma. In the center, nestled in a small crater, a run down castle of red bricks.

The main doors creaked open, and the smell of isolation hit him vividly. A staircase of broken red stone invited him into a descent. The guards here had long been gone, time treating them as poorly as anything else in the known universe. A pink swirl of light around his fist lit up the way as he proceeded down, gliding through the lost fortress. Soon enough he came upon the crypt. Rows and rows of coffins, well over fifty in total, lying in the void of being forgotten. He passed all of them without a second thought.

The next chamber was guarded by the Five Cavaliers. Legends in their own time, and ancient beyond belief. He'd discovered their existence by complete accident shortly before the disaster that got him banished, and he was confidant he was still the only one to know of them. They would be an insurmountable challenge if he had come some 300,000 years ago. Too bad they were all in infinite slumber. Pariah Dark really had done him a favor here. Vlad chuckled as he passed them all, their very large and impressive weapons and shields meant nothing if they could not use them.

At last he had reached it. The Forgotten Mausoleum. The coffin inside this chamber was larger than even the eight foot tall Cavaliers. His prize was floating above it, the item he had been searching for since he'd learned of its existence years past. The trinket that occupied his every thought, the platform that lifted him up when adversity tried to drag him down, the rock he used to solidify himself in moments of doubt. The most powerful ghost artifact of all time was before him, totally unguarded.

He grabbed it with a slight tremor in his hand, the ancient magic vibrating and buzzing as it resized the blade to fit him as if it was custom made. A pleasant sigh escaped him, it was light as a feather, and it hummed with spectral echoes as he swung it around to test it's potency. Oh yes, it was genuine all right. Another chuckle escaped his lips, and he soon let it evolve into a full scale evil laugh. It filled the chamber, journeying throughout the burial site, but none of the residents were bothered by it; he was the first being to come here in thousands of years.

He felt a fire inside him burst to life, a fire that was doused a decade ago when he awoke with his wrists chained together. It felt proper, as if a natural law of the universe had been re-proven and set right once again. Now, there was only one more thing he needed.

The coffin top broke easier than mother's vase. He admired the sword once more, noticing the way a pink fire seemed to burn inside the ancient steel, mirroring the pink plasma energy contained in his toned frame. Nothing could stop his wicked grin now. He reached a hand in and pulled out an immaculate crown, the only other thing in this entire dump that hadn't gone senile. The gold was topped with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. A band of rare ghost metals carved as runes lined the rim of the ornate headpiece, and sparkled under his touch, much like the sword.

It fit better than his own silk gloves. The magic took him at once, and his tattered rags from prison faded. In their place, a set of white finery over glowing chain mail. His new cape was golden, and his complexion shined too. He felt like a new man, and twice the ghost he had been on his best day. His fangs practically dripped with energy as he took in his newfound power and laughed. The echoes of his triumph made the entire Mausoleum shudder.

"I'm coming for you now Daniel, and this time there's hell to pay!"

* * *

The last eleven years had been good. Really good.

Amity never looked so clean, Danny decided as he glided between the gray clouds of the night. And after a satisfying day of hard work keeping the peace, home never looked so good. Fenton Tower, the worldwide headquarters of the Fenton Corporation built right on top of the old home his family had lived in for decades, was visible even from here. Hopefully dinner was waiting, it had to be nearly 10 o'clock.

"Danny Phantom!"

Danny sputtered to a stop and turned. Oh, perfect.

"What do you want Skulker?"

The ghost hunter floated up to Danny's level, smirking, and bearing a long metal staff. His suit had undergone minor changes over the years, he'd developed a few new tricks, but his eyes burned with the same green fire they always had.

"You know exactly what I want. For a long time I underestimated you, saw you only as prey. Now I realize the truth. Now I see you are-"

"Hey, can we cut this short?" Danny asked and yawned, "I'm so over it tonight."

Bringing his eyebrows back down to place, Skulker nodded, "Fine. Tonight will be the night I finally defeat you. Then, I shall be the one to rest."

"Try me," Danny dared.

They rushed towards each other, Danny's hands glowing green, Skulker's staff lighting up with yellow electricity on each end. Both swung several times, neither landing a solid blow. Skulker feigned a strike to the head and then rolled backwards, shooting a plasma blast at the halfa hero. Danny went intangible just in time for the energy ball to shoot through a few clouds and burst into sparkles.

Never dismayed, Skulker charged again. Danny held up his left hand to block the staff strike that came over head, and with his right hand, he lined up the shot. The electric discharge stung, but it was well worth enduring. A green bolt smashed into Skulker's boot as he rebounded upwards after striking.

With half the hunter's mobility kaput, not to mention his balance, Danny landed an easy strike. One punch to the head rattled him enough for the thermos to come out. The upgraded models were faster, but there was something that felt right about using the original. Skulker cried out in protest as his form became small and gaseous, sucked into his prison without a chance to escape.

"You think after all this time he'd realize it was pointless," Danny mused with a quickly fading smile.

Then he let out a sigh. A few people from the windows of nearby buildings cheered. He waved back at them. He was used to that, the celebrity status, the money, it was all nice, but the feelings he had as a 14 year old were what he missed. Even using old mementos like the original thermos didn't quite do the trick to sate his nostalgia withdrawal.

What the heck was the matter with him? His family was happy and healthy, he was winning the war for Earth's safety, he had everything he could ever want, including a happy engagement to Sam... So why did it feel like there was just one more thing he needed to round it all out? And what was it?

As he flew towards home again, twirling the thermos around his fingers, he pondered the same questions for the millionth time. Einstein would have called him crazy, because he kept arriving at the same answer every time: He missed the one thing that could never be taken back. He missed the innocence, the naivety of being an adolescent. He regretted the things he hadn't done when he was 14, and a few of the things he had. The way things ended up was good, he wouldn't trade his life away for anything...but he also knew that was an itch he would never be able to scratch.

He opened the window to his office of the Fenton Corp HQ and slid inside, reforming his legs and transforming back to a full human.

"Surprise!"

The lights of his office came on all at once and his parents, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam came out of their hiding places. Danny shielded his eyes, and stumbled towards his desk to put the thermos down.

"Hey!" Danny smiled and walked into the group for a hug, "What's the deal?"

"You're kidding right?" Jazz asked.

"Why it's your birthday sweetie, you can't have forgotten that!" His mom chided gently.

Danny had to look down at his feet and really think about it, but yes..he had forgotten today was his birthday. Tucker handed him a plate with a slice of chocolate cake and he accepted with a grin. He hadn't been expecting it. Any of it. Wisps of the old life came pouring back as his father turned on the music and blew a party popper.

"Let's boogie! Happy birthday Danny!"

A handful of party games, embarrassing stories, and helpings of junk food later, it was time for the gifts. Tucker was up first, and turned everyone's attention to the projector on the wall. Personally, Danny couldn't wait.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, and of course to the birthday boy himself, I present my latest creation!"

The screen behind Danny's desk went black and an automated drumroll sounded off, and with the click of a button a green grid sparked to life. Lines began to run together from the sides of the screen and connect in odd angles, and over his narration Tucker's present came to life.

"What is it you may ask? Nothing less than a new, state of the art neural-anatomical artificial intelligence! Taking the shape of a ring, emblazoned with the company logo of course, it connects the Fenton Supercomputer Jazz runs straight into your head, and even beyond. We're talking a direct link into your nerves, your reflexes! You'll be faster than fast and stronger than strong! Any information we have in our database will be at your beck and call with just a thought."

"And it'll give me time to take a more active role in the field," Jazz added with a smile.

"Wow...I don't know what to say," Danny admitted.

"It's not finished just yet, but I'll have it to you by next week," Tucker promised, finger guns blazing.

"Nice dude."

The friends hugged briefly, then Jack Fenton tore his son away and directed him to a box resting by the filing cabinet near the door.

"Son, I'm afraid the gift your mother and I got you isn't nearly as cool," He took a small moment to embrace the pain and regret, then wiped a budding tear from the corner of his eye and smirked the kind of comforting smirk only a dad could put on, "but we think you'll like it all the same."

Danny grabbed the box and removed the lid, and a smile lit up in his face.

"Don't let them exclude me!" Jazz protested, "I helped collect some of it too."

Danny tore the lid off and felt the breath leave him. A treasure trove of photos, souvenirs, and mementos of days gone by collected and put in one place. He began rifling through it all as a bittersweet feeling took hold of him. This is what he wanted, this was his adolescence incarnate. It was amazing to see how young he'd been, how close even then that he, Tucker, and Sam were. All of it, his history exactly as it was then, and it was all in this little cardboard box.

"We spent a few months going through old photo books, security footage, and the like," His mother said, "We hope it means as much to you as it does to us."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, "It does. Thanks guys."

Then everyone turned towards Sam, and a light blush came to her cheeks, "Well, I might have another present or two saved for later…"

Danny's cheeks flushed a bit too.

"But it's kind of funny," She went on, "Your family's gift was about the past. Tucker's gift represents the here and now. Mine is…"

She moved towards his desk and trailed off then turned to face them all and smiled.

"This last one is...well, it's sort of a present for everybody. A promise of things to come," Sam said, and pointed at his desk where the final gift lay.

It was a manilla folder, blank and bare except for a heart scribbled on the front with Sam's name in the middle of it. Danny smiled as he opened the folder. His heart jumped. Several black and white images fell onto his desk and he put a hand to his mouth, looking to Sam with wide eyes.

What was it he was missing? The freedom of being 14?

She nodded, with a prevailing grin, "I'm pregnant."

So much for that.

Cheers and congratulations poured in from all sides, but Danny was practically deaf to it all. He could only look at his fiance with a gaping mouth and a thrashing heart.

When he was capable of thought he did the only thing that came to his mind and rushed to her, and they kissed.

Everyone clapped and gathered around for a group hug. For a moment in time, life was better than ever before, and better than he ever thought it could be. He was going to be a dad. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, being 14 didn't seem anywhere near as attractive. Right now, all he wanted was to jump ahead in time and clutch Sam and their child close to him. Tears were trailing down his cheeks, and he laughed for the sake of pure joy. Life was about to get _really, really_ good.

It all came crashing down as another round of clapping came into existence, from behind the group, from a man whose face they hadn't seen since...

None of them could speak, so the intruder did.

"I'm sorry...am I interrupting something?" the intruder asked, a wicked smile smoldering on his face.

No. It wasn't possible. Not like this!

"Plasmius!"


	2. The King's Conquest

**Hello all, I meant to get this out sooner, but here it is, better late than never! **

**So I realized that the set up for this plot kinda already happened when Vlad woke Pariah Dark, lol, so...yeah, I'm kind of just copying that part, but I plan on taking it in different places, and I came up with a quick explanation to tie all that into a knot. Please bear with the familiar set up, I promise it's gonna take some turns. Now, I also have to address that this chapter is kinda heavy (violent) and I'm probably gonna have to adjust the rating if I keep it up. Is the more mature and gritty style something that fits Danny Phantom? I kinda think so, but if you feel strongly let me know! (Also, you know, you could leave me a review. I'm not saying you have to, but I mean...you could though, cause that's what sexy people like you do _*smooch*_ ;) **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You bastard!"

Jack Fenton lept away from his family and slung his artificial arm behind his back, winding up for the haymaker of all haymakers. Vlad smirked, his visage older than they remembered, but not by much. He looked damn good for someone who'd been excommunicated for over a decade.

Jack's warcry filled the room, and Vlad accepted it head one. The punch went right through him - although Vlad was not in ghost form - and Jack not only took the office door off its hinges, he sent it through the wall and out the building. Jack stepped away in shock, and Vlad moved closer to the group.

"A birthday party? How quaint. Congratulations by the way, Daniel. Fatherhood!? My, my, how the time flies."

Danny could only muster one question, "How?"

"How?" Vlad parroted in feigned confusion, "How what?"

"How are you back? What have you been doing all these years that brought you back into my life?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Vlad clapped his hands together and slung an arm over Danny, who promptly slid out from under it.

"Eleven years it's been, and I spent nearly all of it in captivity."

"What, like some kind of pet?" Sam mused with a smirk.

"Better than he deserves," Maddie frowned.

"No. Not a pet. A slave. Manual labor. Lashings. The full nine yards. I was dust to those foul creatures."

"Well good," Maddie spat.

Vlad feigned hurt, "After the disastroid took me into the deep reaches of space, I was found by a warmongering race of brutish aliens. My ghost powers allowed me the chance to compete for my life in their gladiatorial games, but I was quickly thrust into slavery after I crushed foe after foe. They feared me...and rightfully so."

"Really? Afraid of a whacked out fruitloop like you? They can't be too good at war then," Jazz said.

Vlad went on, "I was broken. Again and again and again. I clawed my way up from the brink of death more times than I can count. They made me stronger, and that was their mistake. If they'd had just killed me they never would have come to ruin. But alas for them, I found my chance, and I exterminated my captors. Now, I've come back for the wretches who sent me away!"

"Hey what's with the getup?" Tucker gestured to the white finery over chain mail, and the sword and scabbard at his side, "And what's up with the crown?"

Vlad chuckled, "Being pushed to a life and death situation day after day makes one bold," He said, then let silence reign for a moment, "Let's just say, I've become the new King Arthur of the Ghost Zone. In fact, I think you all better refer to me as King from now on."

"Fat chance," Sam shot back.

"Oh, but I've done the impossible," Vlad countered, "I pulled the sword from the proverbial stone. Pariah Dark was not the first King of the Ghost Zone, nor was he the most powerful. In fact, because I know none of you know this, I'll let you in on a little secret: he had to overthrow the first King through treachery and deceit; unfortunately he was never able to claim his master's crown and sword. He hid them away, to ensure their power never fell into anyone else's hands, sure they would never be discovered."

He pointed to the majestic band on his head and snickered, "But I did it."

Danny went ghost and levitated towards his old foe, "Big whoop. I've kicked Pariah Dark's butt before - and yours. How about we go outside and see how powerful you really are?"

"Yeah, we'd all like to come along and beat you into a pulp," Maddie glared.

"Ah-ah-ah." Vlad waved a finger at them like a master chiding his dog, "The first battle is only for me and Daniel. The rest of you can come claim his broken and bloodied body when I'm finished with him."

"You...absolute bastard!" Jack raged in place, barely feeling his wife's hand on his shoulder, though she was glaring daggers at him too.

"Fine by me," Danny replied, "When and where?"

"Danny, no!" Tucker and Sam tried.

"Take the portal," Vlad said, and gestured out the window to the sky where a swirling, circular image of an old castle ripped open in the dark night, "But be warned Daniel, I'm not going easy on you this time."

"Danny, wait!" Sam tried again, but he moved faster than her words. He stopped only to give her another kiss and place a gentle hand below her breasts.

"I'll be right back," He announced to the room and flew past the image of Vlad, off towards the portal in the night.

Vlad laughed and faded into nothingness before their eyes.

"We've got to move. Now!" Maddie told the others.

* * *

The portal whisked him through time and space, a little like going through the Fenton portal into the Ghost Zone, but this one tugged at his essence more, felt filmier and more solid, like he had to break through it. And he did. Now Danny flew over a ruined courtyard and into a broken red keep. The roof was barely holding together in places, and had crumpled into broken stones and dust in other areas. Old statues and ancient weapons lined the walls leading into a large throne room. The ceiling was probably a hundred feet high, if not more, and danced with ancient whispers and ghostly swirls. On a black throne, smiling in anticipation, Vlad Plasmius sat waiting, his hands on the hilt of an ancient longsword glimmering with his signature pink energy.

Danny landed in front of him and began cracking his knuckles, "Let's get this over with - and this time, do us all a favor and stay gone."

"I admit, I'm new to this whole royalty thing, but aren't you supposed to bow before a King?" Vlad feigned confusion, sheathing the sword in the scabbard at his side and taking a step off his pedestal.

Danny was having none of it, "Okay, I'll start!" and flew at Vlad with all the speed he could muster.

Vlad was in front of him before Danny had made it halfway to the black throne, and as he registered this fact a deep and ominous pain erupted in his gut as Vlad's fist rocketed him all the way back to the front of the hall.

Danny coughed up a mixture of green plasma and red blood, and picked his face up. Vlad was looking at his own hand like it had just appeared on him for the first time. The dangerous glint in his eye gave Danny a bad feeling and made him cough up a little more.

"Lucky shot," He told himself as he wiped his mouth clean and stood.

Amassing enough ecto-energy in his hands to make the entire throne room glow green he aimed at Plasmius again, who was smirking that same damn arrogant smirk from over a decade ago. It was the self-righteous smirk of a successful adult who is not truly fighting a child, but toying with him for his own amusement. Well, Danny wasn't a child anymore.

The rocket of green energy shot off so fast and with such force it rocked Danny to his butt and made the castle quiver. The blast engulfed Plasmius in green energy, but when the flash broke and the smoke cleared, Vlad was still standing, holding his hands in front of him, and still smirking.

"Amazing…I didn't even have to go intangible!" He let himself go into a deep laugh, "I'm unstoppable now!"

"Not yet!" Danny shouted and duplicated himself beyond what Plasmius had ever shown. Not just five or ten, Danny brought out over two dozen copies, and as a unified army he stood in opposition to the new self-proclaimed King.

Vlad chuckled, "Too easy!" he shot back and let loose his own duplicates. Danny's confidence shook as Vlad matched his numbers, then surpassed them without showing signs of slowing. When he was finished there must have been three Vlads for every Danny. The armies stood against each other, the Dannies uneasy and cautious, the Vlads teeming with laughter and confidence.

"Ready? Oh wait...we don't care!" They all said at once and rushed the heroes.

It was a slugfest, and no matter how much he focused or how hard he fought Danny could not gain the upper hand. For every blow one of the heroes landed, the villains had struck ten times. It wasn't long before the Danny duplicates began to disperse and break apart; before thirty seconds of the brawl had elapsed Danny's clones were all but totally gone, making the beat down that much worse. When the last clone was torn in half by five Vlads, the original Danny slumped to his knees, bloodied and shaking.

Vlad did not take his shades back into his true form. Instead he let them all echo his voice as the Kings floated over Danny and circled his struggling form like vultures.

"This is ironic, isn't it? Yesterday I was but a figment of the past, forgotten in your memories. You thought you were untouchable. Well, now you know better, don't you, Daniel? Today, I'm real, I'm here, and I'm winning. You're far from unstoppable, you're so vulnerable I could snap your neck like a twig, and it would be just as easy."

Danny tried to stand, and managed to find footing on one leg, but crumpled back down before he could lift himself up.

"Not so tough now, are you, _hero_?"

Danny gnashed his teeth together as ectoplasm and blood ran out the corner of his mouth.

"I truly am the King of all Ghosts! Admit it."

Danny shook his head and received Vlad's boot to his ribs for the defiance.

"Say it!"

"...no…" Danny whispered.

Vlad kicked him again, in the head this time, and let a few duplicates follow up with kicks and slaps to the rest of him.

"Say it! _I_ am the King! I am stronger than you can ever hope to be!"

Danny lifted his head, and one of the Vlad's leaned down to hear his slippery whisper. Danny spit blood on the Vlad's cheek, but his meager triumph didn't last long. Two more Vlads came from behind and together stomped Danny's head into the stone floor, cracking it under his skull.

"Very rude, Daniel. I hoped you would learn quickly and we could finish it cleanly. But, adulthood clearly hasn't touched your arrogance. It pains me to do this, it _really_ does...but I won't lose sleep over it."

The duplicates merged with the prime Vlad, who grabbed Danny by the throat, and lifted him off the ground. His fingers were vices and they were stronger than steel. Danny was having a hard time breathing on his own, and with this constricting force he was getting no oxygen at all.

Exerting a primal force he rarely ever felt anymore, Danny opened his mouth and unleashed his hardest and shrillest ghostly wail into Vlad's face. Plasmius turned his head away, almost like the dump truck was driving past them, but ended the farce with a quick backhand slap that knocked out a tooth.

That was it. He had nothing left in his tank, and his hands felt like an infant's against the unwavering strength Vlad was exerting on him. The image of a crying child struck him all at once. If Vlad killed him Sam would be left to raise their child alone, if Vlad even allowed it. If Vlad killed him everyone he knew and loved would be at Vlad's mercy. That frightened him into doing something he never thought he'd have to do again.

"...okay," He choked with a breath that was taking years off his life to voice, "_...you….you win Vlad!_"

"Too late Daniel. You have defied me, and you must learn that there are consequences for that defiance."

Danny's vision began to blur and his thoughts began to slow. His hands fell from Vlad's wrist, and his conscious thoughts began to rip apart and fade, like he was falling asleep, but this felt different. This must've been the sensation of death. It was growing closer, and colder, closing in on him from every side, until it was so close that Danny barely even recognized that Vlad had let him go.

But he was fully aware of what happened next.

His scream rang out through the castle, and into the distant reaches of the nearby void. He'd never been in this kind of pain, and he felt the sensation of death back away and clawing a bit of his soul away.

Vlad let him go just before the life was clenched out of him, and drew his sword, still brimming with pink light. Danny never saw it coming, but he sure felt it. The metal flew fast and sharp. Danny's right hand was severed in an instant.

Red-green ectoplasmic blood spewed out of his wrist and limp hand as he rolled and writhed on the stone floor. Never in his life had he been pushed this far, and he was beginning to lose all sensation that was not the pain of sudden amputation. He did not hear his mother's voice ringing out from the hall.

"Danny!"

The only other thing that occupied Danny's world in that moment was the ghostly blade rearing towards him again. Vlad tucked it under his chin, sticking the point ever so lightly against his Adam's apple and glaring down fiery venom at the hero.

"I am your better Daniel, now and forever. Swear fealty to your King! Or die."

Words escaped him, but he was just beginning to register the sound of his family rushing towards him, especially his father, who was screaming like a revenant out for blood. Vlad stuck the point of the blade in just enough for a trickle of red-green mixture to roll down Danny's throat, and he finally obliged the older halfa.

"_Okay...you're the King, Vlad."  
_  
It hurt to say that, to hear his voice so ragged and defeated, even more than the beating he'd gotten here, even more than losing his hand.

The twisted smile returned to Vlad's face, and he sheathed the blade again, "Very good."

"Vlad, you son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill you!" Jack screeched.

Something close to a snort escaped Vlad as he waved his hand towards the approaching meddlers. Pink bars fell around them and formed a plasma cage, burning bright with searing power, trapping them like mice.

"Danny!"

"What have _you done!?_"

"You monster!"

"Hold on Danny!"

Calls of encouragement and vitriol rang from the prisoners, but Vlad ignored them. He looked down at Danny, and put a hand to his chin, scratching at his beard to emphasize counterfeit thought.

"You know, I'm still not quite convinced you believe what you said. I mean, you did say it, and I'm glad you see things my way, but...do you really? I wonder…"

He turned and stalked towards the prisoners, "Maybe...maybe another example will make you certain of where the power dynamic between us lies?"

"No!" Danny called out as best he could through a ruined throat and broken ribs, "Don't! Please!"

"Maybe Tucker...I've never cared much for him, but you seem to treasure his company."

"Do your worst!" Tucker called, for his part.

"Don't touch him!" Danny called back.

"No, no, no, I've got it! I'll kill Jack! I've _always_ wanted to do that."

"Come take me you sick bastard!" Jack called, beating against the bars with his bionic arm, searing the paint job and finish.

"NO!" Danny and Maddie shouted simultaneously.

Vlad put up is hands in mock defeat, "Okay. Fine. Murder is a bit much. How's about...one punch? To your fiance."

Green plasma ignited in Danny's eyes, so much so that he pulled himself onto his knees again, glaring, "No. None of them!"

"Yes. I think so. Come, Sam. I'll be quick about it."

The young goth woman clutched her stomach and took an automatic step back, everyone else stepping between her and the villain.

"Don't you dare!" Danny cried, jumping to his feet and finding once again the screeching, ghostly wail that had won him several close fights.

Vlad moved faster than any of them could process, and put a hand over Danny's mouth, shoving him back to the floor.

"Now, now! No more of that!" Vlad complained, then sighed, "Very well. Instead of harming someone you love, how's about...I topple your empire and build my own right on top of it?"

Nobody said anything, either because they couldn't, or chose not to. Vlad laughed and took out the sword again, holding it high like a Saturday morning cartoon hero, sending a flare of pink energy into the air, spraying down over the castle in a flashing dome.

The same transitioning feeling from before struck them, and Vlad snapped his fingers, teleporting them all to a balcony somewhere high up on the castle. They were back on Earth, floating where the portal he'd opened earlier up once was, hanging over Amity Park, blotting out the moon.

"Watch closely now," Plasmius warned, "For this is the fate of all who oppose King Vlad."

With the outstretched sword in hand, he swung it down in the direction of Fenton Corp HQ, and a second later a beam of pink energy crushed the tower, enveloping it in light, blinding them all. The dream they had all worked towards for the past eleven years came hurtling down in pieces before their eyes, breaking apart, shattering against the power of Vlad's blade. The wreckage hit the streets and shook the earth below. Concerned citizens and confused onlookers came running, and the panic set in at once.

"Now they see," Vlad said quietly, "What the world is like when their hero fails. Delightful as it is pathetic."

None of the prisoners had a dry eye, least of all Danny, who watched in silent pain as Vlad stalked back towards his family.

"Now," Vlad told them, walking before them, inspecting the rejected and unwanted mutts in their kennel, "You all face the same choice that I gave Daniel. Swear your fealty to me, and I will let you return to the ruins of your lives. All of you."

Jack, hunched over on his hands and knees, whispered something inaudible, and Vlad stalked nearer with a hand cupped around his ear.

"Come again, Jack? Finally ready to admit I'm the bigger man?"

He leaned in close to the plasma bars, and gawked in surprise as Jack left a Fenton Plasma knife in Vlad's eye socket. The newly proclaimed King stumbled backwards, and Jack reached for the hilt of the blade. It surged with power and blew his artificial arm to pieces, sending Jack careening into Maddie.

Vlad tumbled away and writhed on the ground, rolling like he had left Danny before, screeching in horror - until he couldn't hold the laughter back. He picked himself off the ground and pulled the blade out clean. His eye phased back into solidity and he broke into a hearty chorus of mocking.

"_Oh no! My eye! What have you done Jack Fenton!? Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha_...nice try."

The prisoners huffed and raged in place, and Plasmius had another genuine laughing fit before turning on them with a stern look.

"I am your King now, peasants. Fear me, and swear that you will be loyal to my every decree. Or else."

A pink glint of energy flared in his eyes, and Maddie answered for the group.

"Fine, Vlad. We swear fealty to you."

"_King_ Vlad," he corrected.

"King Vlad," Maddie amended.

The plasma bars disappeared and Vlad rested a casual hand on the sword hilt, "Then collect your whelpling, and leave my castle at once."

Maddie and Sam rushed to Danny, who was lying on his side with open, but empty eyes. Tucker grabbed Danny's severed hand, and they ran inside to find the exit.

"Oh, and Maddie!" Vlad called, not turning to face them but smiling and looking at the mayhem around the fallen Fenton Tower, "I'll see you here tomorrow night. 8 o'clock. Come alone, of course."

"...Fine," She relented with closed eyes and a bowed head, "I'll be here."

"Yes," Vlad mused with a chuckle, adjusting his crown, "Yes, you will."

* * *

_**Some time later...**_

Frostbite looked out over the white mountain peaks and growled, "This is...troubling."

"Yes," Prince Aragon agreed, rubbing his hands together by the fire, "He pulverized Walker's Prison, incapacitated Nocturne and Vortex, then declared himself the Ghost King. A new King! Unbelievable. How many royals can the ghost zone possibly have?"

"It's not that," Frostbite shook his head, "Unless I'm mistaken it sounds as though Vlad Plasmius has uncovered the most dangerous artifacts of all time. You'd think he would have learned after trying to steal the powers of Pariah Dark…"

"I'm not suggesting we become friendly towards one another," The Prince hesitated, "...but it might be beneficial to form an alliance against him, before he gets too powerful. Not just us, everyone who's left."

"It would do us little good. He has the Wallachian Sword and the Crown of Tepesh, the items that Pariah Dark based the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire on. Much as Pariah Dark was a dim mirror of the First King, so too were his trinkets poor imitations of the originals. If Vlad Plasmius truly wields these powers, then he is well beyond the strongest of us."

"So what is to be done!?" The Prince demanded, "Do you suggest we cower in fear and send our armies home? That we bend our knees to him!?"

Frostbite nibbled at the edge of his claws, still staring out towards the great peaks of the Realm of the Far Frozen. Rumors were many, and if this much was true, how true could it be that Danny Phantom had not survived his battle against Plasmius? Could they find a way to prevail even if he were?

"I don't know...I must go to the human world. If there is a chance to save us all, it must be taken quickly."


End file.
